Hot Plates: Africola reopens in Adelaide

It takes courage to transform an already wildly popular
restaurant, but a serious rethink about the direction at Africola
has taken it up a notch. Chef Duncan Welgemoed has shifted his
attention away from big meat servings from the fire pit to embrace
northern African culinary influences, and offer vegetables their
time in the spotlight.

Slices of eggplant in a delicate film of crisp batter topped
with cumin, sweet chilli and fermented goat's cheese give the
argument potency, as do more rugged flavour marriages, such as
cabbage heart with salted plums, roasted cauliflower dressed with
tahini and pomegranate, and smoky barbecued carrots doused in burnt
butter and kombu.

Equally robust dips - smoky baba ghanoush with the salty bite of
trout roe and seaweed, and Africola's Boom Boom hummus, fired up
with crisp chickpeas and sumac - sit comfortably in the company of
lamb kofta with fried green tomatoes.

Despite so much change to the menu, a few simple, fun dishes
have carried over from Africola's original incarnation and remain
seductive favourites. The signature peri peri chicken, a hit since
Africola opened in November 2014, still stands tall, but it's now
complemented by the irresistible chicken tea sandwich - crisp
chicken skin served on white bread with parsley and peri peri
chicken drippings.

Desserts, too, are a pleasant surprise, not least the torched
chickpea marshmallow beside fresh mango, coconut-water mousse,
sorrel granita and a sprinkling of dehydrated river mint.

While the room's previous layers of eye-watering colour have
been replaced by the gentler tone of white plaster, and the
party-hearty atmosphere has been dialled back to something slightly
more civilised, the food still carries the personality of the chef:
unmistakably bold and rambunctious. Let's hear it for Africola
2.0.